Pret A Manger vows ‘meaningful change’ after teen dies from allergic reaction to baguette
Natasha Ednan-Laperouse went into cardiac arrest on a 2016 flight from London to Nice after eating a baguette containing sesame seeds
The family of a teenager who died from an allergic reaction to a sandwich demanded changes to Britain’s food labelling laws, describing her death as a watershed moment in the full disclosure of potential allergens in food.
Natasha Ednan-Laperouse, who was allergic to sesame seeds, collapsed on a British Airways flight from London to Nice in July 2016 after eating a baguette from the sandwich chain Pret A Manger. An inquest into the 15-year-old’s death found there was no specific allergen information on the sandwich’s packaging, or the cabinet where it was displayed.
“It feels to us that if Pret A Manger were following the law, then the law was playing Russian roulette with our daughter’s life,” Natasha’s father, Nadim Ednan-Laperouse, said after the inquest Friday.
“It’s clear that the food labelling laws as they stand today are not fit for purpose and it is now time to change the law.”
Current regulations don’t require specific allergen warnings on food prepared at the location where it is bought.
Pret, which has more than 300 locations in the UK, says it makes all of its sandwiches daily in its shops. The shop at Heathrow Airport where Natasha bought her sandwich relied on stickers on food display units that said allergy information was available by asking staff or visiting the firm’s website.
